Spud method of installing oil well drilling bases



April 8, 1952 w. v. MGMENIMEN SPUD METHOD OF INSTALLING OIL WELL DRILLING BASES s Sheets-Shgt 1 Filed June 2, 1948 v ii w 6 2 Km l :u L C M WW 1| I ll nn a ww w a IM/H V. MW A m April 8, 1952 w. v. MCMENIMEN 2,592,448

SPUD METHOD OF INSTALLING OIL WELL DRILLING BASES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2, 1948 I INVENTOR.

WILLIAM V MC MENIMEN BY ATTUEN Y April 8, 1952 w. v. MOMENIMEN 2,592,448

SPUD METHOD OF INSTALL-LNG OIL WELL. DRILLING BASES Filed June 2, 1948 s Shee ts-Sheet :s

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37 46 I INVENTOR. WILLIAM v m: MENIMEN ATTUH NEY Patented Apr. 8, 1952 S'PUD' METHOD OF INSTALLING OIL WELL DRILLING BASES! William V. Mc Menimen, East Orange, N. J assignor to Raymond Concrete Pile Company, NewYork, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application J une 2, 1948, Serial No. 30,540

2 Claims. I

An object of this invention is to build an overwater foundation for the support .of oil Well drilling equipment.

The foundation, as disclosed, is. in the form of a structural steel platform supported on piles, high enough to be safe from wave action.

The platform is provided on shore with equipment including six spuds; each in a guide well or sleeve, a hoisting engine for each spud and a traveling whirler crane. Each of the hoisting engines has two winding drums, one for pushing the spud down and the other for pulling it up after it has served its purpose. The platform, as above equipped, is then floated to the site on a scow.

The spuds are then forced down into the ocean bed, each by a .cable from its own particular engine, until the platform is first lifted from the scow, and then raised to the desired level. supported by the spuds.

Spring cushions on the scow at the bearing points prevent any damage by wave action on the scow while the platform is leaving the scow during the lifting operation.

The scow is then pulled out from under the platform and the necessary piles are driven to support the platform in the position in which it has been placed. The piles are driven vertically and diagonally through guiding tubes in the platform by a hammer supported by the whirler. The upper ends of the piles are anchored in the guide tubes as by set screws, by welding, by cement or by sulphur.

After the piles are driven the spuds are removed, as will be explained, and the platform is then ready to receive the well drilling machinery.

Further and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claims, and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate what is now considered the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the structural steel derrick platform with six spuds and their respective engines and winding drums, each spud being in its guide well, the platform and equipment all being mounted on a scow ready to be towed to the site. The platform also carries a traveling crane of the whirler type;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1 showing the location of the six hoisting engines;

Fig. 3 is an end view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the two winding drums on each engine;

Fig. 4 is a view in the direction of Fig. 1, taken after the spuds have, been sunk sufficiently to raise the platform to the desired level, and after the vertical and batter piles have been driven to support the platform at that level. Also shown is a pile in the process of being driven by a hammer supported by the whirler;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4, without any showing of the piles;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-section of a spud, within its guide well, and with the cables reeved for forcing the spud downwardly by means of one winding drum on its associated engine. The jetting tubes are also shown; and

Fig. 7 is a iew at right angles to Fig. 6. showing the line reeved for raising the spud by means of the second winding drum on its engine.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the scow 20 is pro- .videdwith cushions 22 suporting the structural steel platform 24.

Mounted on the platform and stiffened by sheave-brackets 26, 28 are six guide wells 30 extending upwardly from the bottom surface of the platform to a point well above the top of the platform. The wells are supported by horizontal flanges 3| adapted to rest on top of the platform.

In each guide well is a vertical spud 32 supported by a cable 34 (Fig. 7) extending from a winding drum 36 on one of the hoisting engines, (indicated generally at 38) and around suitable sheaves as indicated in Fig. 7, which shows the cable passing around sheaves mounted in bracket 28 on well 30 and around sheaves in a cross channel 33 in the spud below the guide well all in such manner as to support the spud against gravity, to raise the spud when the engine pulls in the cable, and to lower the spud when the cable is slacked off.

When the scow reaches the desired site with the spuds supported as above described, the cables are slacked off to let the spuds rest on the ocean bed 40. A second cable 35 reeved as shown in Fig. 6 is then used to push the spud down. This cables comes from drum 42 and runs over sheaves mounted in brackets 26 on spud well 30, and over sheaves in spud caps 50.

With this reevin the spuds are forced downwardly into the ocean bed until sufficient resistance is encountered, whereupon the platform leaves the scow and is finally raised and leveled at the desired height, entirely supported by the spuds.

In a typical installation the spuds are approximately six feet in diameter and about feet long, in sections bolted together as at 31, Fig. 6, and they are strongly reinforced with internal rings 44. Each spud is provided with several vertical pipes 46 for supplying water jets through the bottom of the spud should occasion arise, as when withdrawing the spud.

The next operation (after removal of the scow) is to drive piles in order to provide a permanent support for the platform in the position to which it has been raised by the spudding operation.

For receiving and guiding the piles the plate form is provided with vertical and inclined sockets as at 54 and 56 for locating and guiding vertical and batter piles 58 and 60 respectively. The piles are driven by a hammer 6| supported by a whirler crane 62 movable on longitudinal rails 64.

The tops of the driven piles may be welded to the platform, but in any event the spaces between the upper ends of the piles and their sockets may be filled either with cement grout or with molten sulphur which, when set, provides a firm foundation between piles and sockets. The use of sulphur has the advantage that the sulphur may be melted out if it later becomes desirable to salvage the piles. While the grout or sulphur is setting, any movement between piles and sockets is prevented, as by collars and set screws, not shown.

After the platform is firmly supported on piles the spuds may be raised by cables 34 and lifted out of the spud wells by whirler 62 for use elsewhere. Cable 34 is reeved to provide a heavy pull for withdrawing the spud from the mud, and water jets inserted through pipes 46 may be used to assist in withdrawal. The spud engines, spud wells, whirler and track, may, then be removed leaving the platform clear for installation of well drilling equipment.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment herein illustrated and described but may be used in other ways without departure from its spirit as de fined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In the method of installing a platform at a selected ofi-shore site and at a predetermined elevation above the surface of a body of water, the steps of vertically supporting spaced-apart spuds in a platform, forcing said spuds downwardly against the bed of the body of water until the platform is raised to the desired elevation, driving piles to support the platform permanently at said elevation, securing the platform to the piles, then raising said spuds and removing them from the platform for re-use elsewhere, and leaving said platform and said piles in situ.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the piles while being driven are guided by pile guides which are independent of the spuds.

WILLIAM V. MCME'NIMEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,718,006 Reno June 18, 1929 1,763,219 Christians June 10, 1930 2,235,695 Ackley Mar. 18, 1941 2,237,387 Crites Apr. 8, 1941 2,248,051 Armstrong July 8, 1941 2,308,743 Bulkley Jan. 19, 1943 2,429,952 Willey Oct. 29, 1947 OTHER REFERENCES Eng. Record, page 756 of June 12, 1915 issue. 

